High throughput process for delivering semi-firm gel for poultry

ABSTRACT

A high throughput process for delivering a semi-firm gel for supplying vaccines, nutritive substances and other similar material to animals, such as poultry chicks. The material is delivered in a non-absorbent semi-firm gel that is easily consumable which results in higher material uptake. The semi-firm gel is formed by interactions occurring between a solution containing an alginic acid crosslinking agent with a gel containing alginic acid.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a high throughput process of deliveringnon-smearing, semi-firm gel to poultry chicks.

Discussion of the Prior Art

The use of gels and water spray to deliver hydration, vaccination,medication, and nutrition to poultry chicks is known in the industry.The common process is as follows: 1) a large number of chicks are placedin a box that is sent down a conveyor line; 2) along the line, the boxof chicks passes under a series of spray cabinets where the chicks aresprayed with vaccines and other substances that are dispersed in waterand/or gel; and 3) once fully vaccinated, the box is removed from theconveyor and delivered to a farm or poultry-raising facility. Thevaccines and other substances that are dispersed in the water and/or gelare delivered as a coarse spray or small gel droplets which the chicksconsume off of one another by preening. It is common for the chicks tobe sprayed with a number of separate solutions as they travel along theconveyor. This process is a high throughput process, typically taking 1second or less to spray the box of chicks. Up to 500,000 chicks can beprocessed daily.

Conventional gels are soft, lack durability and often smear when appliedto chicks. As the chicks are repeatedly sprayed, their downs become wetand some of the vaccine or deliverable substance is absorbed into thedown or dissipates to the point where it cannot be consumed. The gelcontinues to smear to the point where it is difficult or impossible fora chick to consume. The wetness can also cause illness and cause thechicks to stress, which leads to further health issues.

In other settings the process of microencapsulation is used to deliversubstances to animals. The creation of microencapsulated particles iswell known for the delivery of substances, such as medications,nutrients and enzymes, to animals and humans alike. Microencapsulationmethods include techniques such as spray drying, extrusion, air andelectrostatic atomization, and using aerosol atomizers, all within aclosed system or reactor where the reaction process can be easilycontrolled. The reaction process requires a great deal of control, isexpensive, and not practical for high throughput applications, such asdelivering vaccines and substances to poultry traveling in opencontainers along a conveyor.

What is needed, therefore, is a high throughput, highly adaptabledelivery process that results in semi-firm, non-absorbent gel piecesthat are easily and readily consumed by the chicks allowing for betterconsumption and uniformity of the deliverable substance, therebyresulting in healthier chicks.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is a high throughput process for delivering vaccines,medications, nutrients, such as vitamins, protein, fat, hydration,probiotics, prebiotics and other similar such substances in the form ofa semi-firm gel pieces. The gel is non-absorbent, non-smearing, durableand easily consumed by poultry chicks, which results in better uptakeand healthier chicks. The semi-firm gel is created by spraying thechicks with a solution containing an alginic acid crosslinking agent anda gel containing alginic acid. The deliverable substance can be added toeither the gel or the solution. The deliverable substance, after thechicks are sprayed, may be located on the outside of the gel, within thegel or may move between the inside and outside of the gel due to thesemi-firm nature of the resultant gel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will now be described more fully in detail. Thisinvention should not, however, be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein; rather, they are provided so that thisdisclosure will be complete and will fully convey the scope of theinvention to those skilled in the art.

The invention is a process for delivering a substance in the form ofconsumable semi-firm gel pieces for use with animals, and in particularwith poultry chicks. The deliverable substance may be vaccines,medications, nutrients, such as vitamins, protein, fat, hydration,probiotics, prebiotics and other similar such substances. The disclosurediscusses the invention in terms of its use with poultry chicks andturkey poults, or simply “chicks”, however, it is understood that it isnot limited to use with poultry chicks and turkey poults and may be usedwith any number of other animals.

An apparatus that includes at least one conveyor belt and at least onespray cabinet that is used to spray chicks with various solutions isprovided. Particularly, a number of chicks, usually around 100, areplaced in an open top container that is placed on the conveyor andtransported through one or more spray cabinets. The chicks are commonlyprocessed up to rates of 100,000 chicks/1,000 boxes per hour. The spraycabinets include a plurality of nozzles, which are typically mountedwithin one or more manifolds, to spray the chicks as they pass throughthe spray cabinets.

The consumable semi-firm gel, according to the invention, is created byproviding a combination of two solutions that are sequentially orsimultaneously sprayed onto the chicks. The first solution is a solutioncontaining an alginic acid crosslinking agent, such as the divalentcation Ca2+ or a trivalent cation. The solution may be water or a low tohigh viscosity gel. For example, the first solution may be a mixture ofwater and powdered calcium, the mixture preferably containing 5% or lessof the powdered calcium. The second solution is a gel containing analginic acid. For example, the second solution may be mixture of a geland an alginic acid, the mixture preferably containing 5% or less of thealginic acid. The deliverable substance is added to either or bothsolutions.

Both solutions are applied to the chicks, and crosslinking between thecrosslinking agent and the alginic acid creates a semi-firm gel that isfirmer than traditional gels and is not absorbable. More specifically,the area of the gel that comes into contact with the first solutioninitially experiences the crosslinking, which increases the firmness ofthe gel at that point of contact. For several minutes following theinitial contact, the two solutions continue to interact with oneanother, continuing to increase the firmness of the gel over that periodof time. For example, spraying the chicks with the first solution andthen applying the gel creates a gel that is firmer on the bottom whereit is in contact with the chick. Alternatively, spraying the gel firstfollowed by the first solution creates a gel that is firmer on the topthan it is on the bottom. Contact between the chicks, as a result oftheir preening and moving, increases the rate and amount ofcrosslinking, creating a gel that is firmer in a relatively short amountof time. Regardless of the sequence of application, the semi-firm gelremains generally as a fully consumable irregular piece on a chick'sdown and greatly reduces the amount the chicks are wetted in thedelivery process. The irregular piece of gel may be in many shapes,including streaks or strings. The semi-firm gel pieces are readilyconsumed by the chicks, resulting in improved vaccine uptake andhealthier chicks.

In one embodiment of the invention, the semi-firm gel is created byapplying the two solutions sequentially. In this case, an open-topcontainer is sized to hold approximately 100 chicks relatively closelypacked, so that their downs touch one another. The container is placedon a conveyor, which transports the container through a spray cabinet.The spray cabinet includes at least two manifolds, each of whichincludes a plurality of nozzles, and a plurality of nozzles that areindependent of the manifolds. The independent nozzles spray the chickswith the alginic acid crosslinking solution. In this example, thealginic crosslinking solution is preferably sprayed at a rate up to 30ml per container. The nozzles on the manifolds spray the chicks with thealginic acid gel at rates up to 60 ml per container of chicks. Onceapplied, the crosslinking solution reacts with the alginic acid gel,forming a semi-firm gel according to the invention, which is thenconsumed by the chicks. The sprays may be applied in any sequence suchthat the crosslinking occurs after being applied to the chicks.

In a second embodiment, the two solutions are applied simultaneously.The apparatus is the same as described above.

In a third embodiment, the same process may also be used to createconsumable gels that are consumed in, for example, an incubator at achick hatchery. When the eggs are placed in the incubator, theytypically hatch within a 72 hour period although some hatch sooner thanothers. Within that timeframe, chicks typically have access to hydrationand nutrition. Water and food can be messy, and in many cases isincompatible for use in incubators. Nutrition/hydration gels areoccasionally provided, however, the conventional gel is only consumablefor approximately 24 hours before it evaporates.

In this embodiment, a nutrition/hydration gel containing alginic acid isdeposited in a container, such as a food or water trough, located insideincubator and then sprayed with a solution containing the alginiccross-linking agent. As with the semi-firm gel that is created with thefirst two embodiments, the result is a semi-firm surface on the gel thatacts as a layer to protect against evaporation. This allows the gel toremain hydrated and consumable for a longer period of time, typically 72hours or longer.

It is understood that the embodiments described herein are merelyillustrative of the present invention. Variations in the deliveryprocess may be contemplated by one skilled in the art without limitingthe intended scope of the invention herein disclosed and as defined bythe following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A process for delivering a semi-firm gel containing a deliverable substance, the process comprising: a) placing a group of live chicks into a container; b) spraying the group of live chicks in the container with a first solution containing an alginic acid crosslinking agent; and c) spraying the group of live chicks in the container with a second solution comprising a gel containing alginic acid, wherein the deliverable substance is present in the first solution and/or the second solution, wherein the first solution and the second solution form the semi-firm gel on the group of live chicks in the container, and wherein the semi-firm gel contains the deliverable substance.
 2. The process of claim 1, wherein the first solution and the second solution are applied sequentially.
 3. The process of claim 1, wherein the first solution and the second solution are applied simultaneously.
 4. The process of claim 2, wherein the chicks are sprayed with the first solution and then sprayed with the second solution.
 5. The process of claim 2, wherein the chicks are sprayed with the second solution and then sprayed with the first solution.
 6. The process of claim 1, wherein the alginic acid crosslinking agent is a divalent cation.
 7. The process of claim 1, wherein the alginic acid crosslinking agent is a trivalent cation.
 8. The process of claim 1, wherein the alginic acid crosslinking agent is Ca2+.
 9. The process of claim 1, wherein the second solution contains 5% or less of the alginic acid.
 10. The process of claim 1, wherein the second solution is sprayed from a plurality of nozzles on at least two manifolds and the first solution is sprayed from a plurality of nozzles that are independent from the at least two manifolds.
 11. The process of claim 10, wherein the second solution is sprayed at a rate of up to 60 ml per container and the first solution is sprayed at a rate of up to 30 ml per container. 